Posted:
01.11.2024 14:31:41
Indian expert: Europe’s involvement in military conflicts not positive for global system
Europe becomes progressively more involved in military conflicts which is not going to bring any positive outcomes for the global security system, said Shoaib Khan, PhD in Eurasian Studies (University of Mumbai), on the side-lines of the 2nd Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security. The expert added that when it comes to conflicts, the best course of action is to find the root of the problem.
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“Let’s look at the Ukraine situation. What was its root cause? We saw NATO expansion that couldn’t possibly leave Russia unconcerned. Just recently, when Russia and Venezuela ran joint Navy exercises, the US was furious, reminding everyone about the Cuban missile crisis. But this is about NATO expansion. NATO is virtually on the Russian doorstep, so Russia had no other way to react. We have to remember that. Now, let’s look at the situation from another point of view. Why doesn’t Belarus feel threatened by Russia? Because Belarus is not a NATO member. Now, consider the latest NATO additions: Finland and Sweden. The number of military threats they face rose. NATO did not make them more secure. Once again, this is a very strange situation: NATO with its newest members ensure comprehensive support for Ukraine, providing it with weaponry. At the same time, in the situation with Israel and the Gaza strip they, for some reason, refrain from helping Palestinians who are fighting for their lives. They support Israel instead. So the whole situation is weird,” Mr. Khan said.
According to the expert, everyone is waiting for the results of the US Presidential election, but it doesn’t matter who takes the office there, because both candidates are cogs in the same machine. Mr. Khan believes it would be foolish to wait for some big breakthrough when it comes to security. As for sanctions, he said they are used when the military pressure stops working.
“Let’s look at Russia and remember the world wars. Both of them were fought in Europe. America, on the other hand, was not directly involved. Like now, America has always been the instigator of the sanctions policy, but the sanctions don’t harm them directly. The anti-Russian sanctions result in retaliatory measures imposed by Russia on other countries. Once again, Europe takes the brunt there, while America remains out of harm’s way. And we have to understand that a country like Russia or Iran can’t be isolated. Doing that will inevitably harm those who impose the sanctions. Again, if we look at Russia, we see that sanctions did not have the desired effect. Besides, lots of countries trade with both Russia and Iran, so sanctions hit a whole group of nations,” he said.
As the Indian expert pointed out, the European Union is trying to use sanctions to pressure other countries, and India feels that pressure.
“When the Indian PM visited Russia, 22 European countries sent him letters asking him to condemn the Russian policies. But why should a sovereign country be put in a situation where it cannot act in an independent way? India made its position clear: we are neutral when it comes to this crisis and Russia. I strongly believe sanctions are not a solution. Sanctions are used because Europe lacks other weapons to take Russia on,” he added.
According to the expert, everyone is waiting for the results of the US Presidential election, but it doesn’t matter who takes the office there, because both candidates are cogs in the same machine. Mr. Khan believes it would be foolish to wait for some big breakthrough when it comes to security. As for sanctions, he said they are used when the military pressure stops working.
“Let’s look at Russia and remember the world wars. Both of them were fought in Europe. America, on the other hand, was not directly involved. Like now, America has always been the instigator of the sanctions policy, but the sanctions don’t harm them directly. The anti-Russian sanctions result in retaliatory measures imposed by Russia on other countries. Once again, Europe takes the brunt there, while America remains out of harm’s way. And we have to understand that a country like Russia or Iran can’t be isolated. Doing that will inevitably harm those who impose the sanctions. Again, if we look at Russia, we see that sanctions did not have the desired effect. Besides, lots of countries trade with both Russia and Iran, so sanctions hit a whole group of nations,” he said.
As the Indian expert pointed out, the European Union is trying to use sanctions to pressure other countries, and India feels that pressure.
“When the Indian PM visited Russia, 22 European countries sent him letters asking him to condemn the Russian policies. But why should a sovereign country be put in a situation where it cannot act in an independent way? India made its position clear: we are neutral when it comes to this crisis and Russia. I strongly believe sanctions are not a solution. Sanctions are used because Europe lacks other weapons to take Russia on,” he added.
